Our Goal To protect and maintain the bloodline of the Linebred Descendants of Rin Tin Tin IV with the Breeding, Raising and Training Protocols established by Lee Duncan nearly a century ago that were continued by Jannettia Brodsgaard Propps and Daphne Hereford and enhanced, through education and science to produce the mirror image dog within the GSD standard.

Lee Duncan was a brilliant man when it came to animals. He was far beyond his time in the areas of training, nutrition and breeding. His philosophies were so far advanced that nearly a century later not only have they stood the test of time, but are now considered the recommended way to breed, raise and train dogs. Jannettia and Daphne both not only followed his protocols for over 3/4 of a century but through research and advanced technology sought out additional information to enhance, but NOT change, the concepts or end results. No other bloodline known to exist can equal this level of strict criteria that has continued over 6 decades.

Protocol

The Protocol has provided that for the past 60 years we have not placed a Any FULL Rin Line Breeding Dogs outside the official breeding program.(In 2017 a couple were obtained but their names were changed and they will not affect the integrity of the line) There are some so-called breeders who attempt "claim" their dogs are from the Rin Bloodline based on a single appearance of Rin Tin Tin IV in a 50 year old pedigree. Our dogs are have been carefully linebred for the past 60 years to these protocols and as a result our line is Absent of many of the issues that face the German Shepherd Dog in general.

For Example - The Rin Line Dogs have very dark eyes, good dark pigment (coat color is not pigment), good temperament, full dentition, no creptorchids (missing testicle) ,less than 1% hip dysplasia, two instances of elbow dysplasia (1995 and 2017), no DM, no down ears, no excessive rear angulation, clean movement coming and going, only an occasional recessive coat from outcrosses, no color paling (light sables [dominant gene] and Silver [recessive gene] is not paling, the banding is on the agouti pattern).
Rin Line Dogs excel in Performance events including Agility, Herding, Tracing, and Obedience. They have been recipient of the GSDCA PAM Award and The american Humane Association Legacy Award.

Outcrosses are necessary and we conduct extensive review into a males background before considering an outcross to ensure the end result will benefit the Rin Line. (we did not manage the litter born in 2017 and did not authorize the two half-line dogs taken from the breeding program). Once an outcross has occurred we keep a puppy from that litter and breed it to a solid Rin Dog; take a puppy from that litter and come back again to the Rin line; then take a puppy from that litter and come back to Rin line one more time. Then you have achieved the benefit of the outcross.

Breeding

Originally the dogs Duncan produced did well in Conformation Dog Shows. However, anything based on style will change over time. What has not really changed since 1960 is the Standard of the German Shepherd Dog. For the past 60 years the dogs produced by this bloodline have met that standard while remaining within the breeding protocols that includes the colors of Sable, Silver Grey, and an occasional old fashioned Black and Silver and a less angulated structure popular during the 1950s. The line has always also included whites.

Although there have been one here or there in pedigrees, The bloodline has NEVER been promoted as or represented by Black and Tan dogs. The line has always been represented by Sable or Silver Grey.

As a general rule the first year of a dogs life is equal to 15 human, subsequent average 7 to one. So in an ideal situation a breeding female has completed her tenure by the time she is 3 1/2 years old and equal to about 39 human years. There are models who suggest different numbers for years 3 and up, but we use what we know works, Lee Duncan's protocol.

FEMALES

Young females = young eggs === Old females = old eggs
Do not breed a female over 5 years old
Old females produce more issues, potential defects
OFA Pre-Lim H&E on females at 1 year so you know that things are clear
Do all other testing, coat, DM etc
Breed her on the second heat or the cycle closest to 16 months - this lets you see what she produces
OFA Certify H&E at 2 years
Skip a heat or breed again 1 year later for second litter about 2 1/2 year - this breeding you can correct what you did not like from the first breeding
Skip a heat or breed again 1 year later for third and last litter about 3 1/2 year

MALES

Pre-Lim xray just to see what you are working with
Do all other testing, coat, DM etc
Young males sperm has more males
Old males sperm has more females
The older a dog gets the more natural aging occurs in the his, arthritis, so dogs 5-6 years old can sometimes present an inaccurate hip reading. Xray early.

Raising

Naturally Duncan used logic as the basis for the issue of diet. He fed his dogs meat, albeit from his writings it appears he primarily fed cooked meat, it was meat nonetheless and not a dry, over processed kibble full of things dogs do not either need or digest. He was savvy enough to know a dog was a carnivore and needed meat.

Training

Duncan advocated POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT as the recommended way of training a dog to happily perform. He created a Code of Ethics that included training with kindnesss rather than a heavy hand. Now, 100 years later those methods are referred to as POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT & OPERANT CONDITIONING.